


The Product

by Left_Handed_Darkness



Series: All Rise [4]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Cold Construction (Transformers), Dehumanisation, Gen, I have so many feelings about a society that sees people as products and functions, Seeker Trines, Seekers, Starscream was a smug bastard even before he could comprehend the concept of being smug, and not as individuals, and the implications here hooooo booooooy, which is horrifying the more you think about it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:54:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27091597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Left_Handed_Darkness/pseuds/Left_Handed_Darkness
Summary: The trine wake up for the first time - at the end of an assembly line.
Relationships: Starscream & Thundercracker & Skywarp
Series: All Rise [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1623433
Comments: 16
Kudos: 40





	The Product

> Model #: 602  
> Batch Code: 730  
> Cell: 07

_The camera pans across a small, six-sided chamber. Its only fixtures are the tall assembly stations, each supporting inert, identical figures. Graceful wings and hooked talons lie still; whilst icy, faceted crystals sit in exposed spark chambers._

> [Frame integrity at 100%. Energon levels at 50%. Initial software download vers. #46972: complete. Pre-activation systems check: complete. Batch thaw sequence initiated at 0900.]

_A pale blue shock jolts the crystals. For a minute or so, there’s no change - then slowly, ever so slowly, they begin to glow with a pale inner light. Minutes tick by and the glow grows stronger. Pneumatics hiss and catches release, allowing the chestplates to close on now-pulsing sparks and cobalt blue energon lines._

Time passed and impatient fingers drummed on the surveillance console. Scintillos chewed on the butt of his cy-gar, triple checking and quadruple checking his instrumentation for lack of anything better to do. The early stages of the activation sequence was always tedious; unless something went horribly and explosively wrong, there was nothing to do but sit and wait.

And hardly anything went wrong at Hyperline Aerodynamics. Well, nothing that couldn’t be stripped down, salvaged, and rebuilt into something useful. The high-end construct factories were efficient like that - though sometimes the scrap from less reputable plants would end up being repurposed into test dummies.

At least _then_ Scintillos had something to watch.

_Optics flicked on next; little points of crimson in the dingy room that caught on polished steel and sharp edges. Mandibles twitched, undoubtably parsing the flood of information that had been wired straight into top-of-the-line brain modules. Then the movements spread; heads tilting, talons flexing, and then it came:_

_Cheep._

_Cheep cheep? Peep?_

_Chirp_.

Scintillos chuckled, looking at the identical figures as they glanced around the room witlessly. It was almost cute, the bewildered and impotent way in which the products would tug at their restraints, trying to make sense of their sterile enclosure. He watched them for another minute, zooming in on 730-07-C - identical to the other models in every way except for how it squeaked unhappily at the situation.

“Primus, they almost had me thinking they’re innocent the first time I saw ‘em.” A gravelly voice spoke from somewhere behind him. Scintillos plucked the cy-gar from his mouth, twirling it around his fingers.

“Yeah, well, you think that and then you remember that the CAF is paying us out the ass for these things. ‘Sides, what’re you gonna do? Housetrain ‘em? Keep them as an overpriced security system?” He snorted, shaking his head. One hand hovered over the release switch, 730-07-C’s plaintive squeaks almost forgotten.

“I dunno, if I could redirect a little of that seeker coding at those slackers on the maintainance team, maybe the plumbing’d get fixed sooner, y’know?” 

“Nah, between those stiff faces and the blades it’s hard to forget they’re weapons. I dunno about you, but I’d rather not share my apartment with something that could blow a hole in the wall if it gets startled. ” Scintillos flicked the switch - finally remembering that even the boring jobs needed doing. “‘Sides, it’s easier to report the slackers. Functionist enforcement doesn’t take kindly to subpar services, and there’s a lot more disposables waiting to take their place.”

> [Locking mechanisms disengaged. Retracting. Retracting.]

“Fuck, Scint, that’s cold.”

“That’s how it is, Kranos. Efficient. They can slack off once they’ve performed their function.”

_730-03-C stumbled forwards, carried by its initial struggles. It fell to the floor with a clatter of talons and a peep of surprise. 730-03-B was on its knees just as quickly, supporting its fallen batchmate - a rolling purr escaped from 730-03-B as it held the other close to it._

_Meanwhile 730-07-A had caught sight of the camera, tilting its head and flaring its mandibles as if sizing it up. Wings flared out, and there was a calculating, almost smug look in its eye. Then as quickly as it came the expression faded; and 730-07-A was huddled with the other two, trying to work out how to preen the others with its bladed talons._

_Talons that could tear through steel._

“Oh hello, it looks like someone’s tactical suite booted up a little earlier than the others. Or its just looking at the shiny thing on the ceiling. Eh, call this batch acceptable Kran. I’m sure they’ll stop mewling once they’ve gotten a whiff of spilled energon.” Scintillos droned again, tapping at the screen and grinning back. “Can’t wait for proper testing to be honest, it’s a lot more palatable than this saccharine nonsense.”

Meanwhile, the products had simply curled up on the floor in a cheeping pile. Huddled up and clueless as to the world beyond those six walls.


End file.
